Atthaya Thitikul continued to cement her reputation as one of the rising stars in women’s golf with a fine victory in the Phoenix Ladies Classic at Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club. The first event in the Thai Women’s PGA 2021 Tour calendar saw the 18-year-old from Ratchaburi lead virtually from start to finish, as she justified her star billing which was well-publicized before the start of the tournament.
However, despite the margin of her victory it cannot detract from the level of performances that were produced by many of the young Thai players over the weekend. The Thai WPGA president, Khun Chanya Swangchitr, would have been delighted with the strength of the field as the tournament took place in near perfect scoring conditions.
The event started with a bang on day 1 with both Praewa Kongpolphrom and Waraporn Wimonwan achieving a hole in 1. The performance of Waraporn was even more remarkable considering that she is 13 years of age and it was part of a round 1 total of level par.
Throughout the event Atthaya was always being pursued by a strong group of young players. Perhaps the player with the greatest local interest is Phannarai Meesom-US who comes from Plutaluang. Although still only 16 she is rapidly building her golfing reputation and the knowledge of the Phoenix greens held her in good stead as three under par rounds saw her finishing in fifth place with a final score of five under par.
The best score of the final day came from Chakansim Khamborn whose 66 resulted in a final total of 10 under par and a share of second place. Chanettee Wannasaen also finished in second place and the 16-year-old from Chiang Mai is emerging as yet another outstanding prospect in Thailand.
However, despite the best efforts of all players nothing was going to stand in the way of Atthaya. Starting the final day six shots ahead of the field, and despite a nervous front nine, four consecutive birdies on the run resulted in a final score of 15 under par.
There are very few golfers who win every tournament they play, but Atthaya rarely plays a bad round and she always appears to be in contention. Her promise is no longer a secret in Thailand and it won’t be long before the rest of the world becomes aware of this fine young player and big things will be expected when in May she flies off to play on the Ladies European Tour.
The tournament has also exposed the depth of young talent in Thailand’s female golf at the current time. Many of these players will soon be showcasing their abilities on various tours around the world and Phoenix has been blessed that they all appeared together to play the past week in this tournament.
